


Silver Sorcerer

by graceful_ginger



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Court Sorcerer, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, mostly it's just a lil sweet thing, very light hurt tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24938239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graceful_ginger/pseuds/graceful_ginger
Summary: Arthur is attacked at his birthday feast. Merlin defends him, but it takes a lot out of him.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 322





	Silver Sorcerer

Merlin knew something was wrong only a split second before the sorceress attacked.

It was Arthur’s birthday feast and everything was going wonderfully. The food was fine and plentiful, the wine was flowing fast and the sound of laughter and singing filled the warmly lit hall. Merlin was enjoying watching the knights get steadily drunker from his new seat at the high table. He still wasn’t used to sitting down at feasts like these, he kept having to repress the urge to refill Arthur’s goblet. Not that he was complaining. His role as court magician was infinitely better than servant work.

Arthur had just made a joke to him about the amount of wine Gwaine had consumed when Merlin felt it, a shift in the energy of the room that made him freeze mid laugh. Looking around, his eyes fell on a servant he didn't recognize. She was staring at Arthur with pure hatred, her hand raised towards him, her eyes just beginning to turn gold.

The next instant, she was flat on her back, Merlin’s spell having hit her square in the chest.

The hall fell silent. Merlin was on his feet, one hand protectively on Arthur’s shoulder, keeping him in place, the other outstretched, ready to attack again. He was cautious, but not overly worried. After all, this was hardly the first time Arthur had been attacked by a bitter sorcerer seeking revenge for his father’s crimes, and Merlin was confident in his abilities to protect him. The sorceress got to her knees, glaring at Merlin.

She attacked suddenly and with pure, unfettered energy. He was able to match her, but he realized with dismay that he had underestimated her. She was stronger than he had expected, much stronger, and attempting to beat her with brute magical force would be dangerous. He tried to withdraw his magic, to break off the contact, but to his surprise she held on. She was trying to drain him, and he was afraid it might work. Already he was starting to feel weak.

Unable to pull away, he redoubled his efforts, trying to overpower her with sheer force. She faltered. He had never used this much power before, his hands were shaking, every cell of his body felt like it was on fire. Through the pain and concentration he could feel her weakening. He put on one final burst of energy.

The connection disappeared.

He saw the witch fall to the floor and wondered briefly if she was dead. Then everything went black.

* * * * *

When he woke up, he was lying in a bed. It was a much softer bed than he was used to, and he spent a moment wondering where he was before he remembered he no longer slept in Gaius’ spare room.

He tried to sit up, and found it more difficult than he had expected. His head was pounding and his limbs felt heavy and awkward. He remembered the night before, the sorceress and the battle he had fought with her, and he groaned. It would take him awhile to recover from that.

“There, there my boy,” came Gaius’ voice, and then his hands were on Merlin’s shoulder, helping to maneuver him into a sitting position. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve got the worst hangover in the world, only more exhausted.”

“Drink this,” said Gaius, handing him a vial.

Merlin drank it and it did help, though only a little.

“Thank you,” he croaked. “The sorceress?”

“Dead. It seems she was working alone.”

“That’s alright then.” Merlin slumped back against the pillows and sighed. “She so powerful, Gaius. I wasn’t sure I could beat her.”

“It took a lot out of you,” Gaius agreed. Merlin expected a reprimand, for Gaius to tell him to be more careful, to think before blindly attacking, but no reprimand came. Instead, he said hesitantly, “I know you’re tired now, but you’ll recover. With enough rest and patience, you should be back to full strength in a couple of weeks. But…” he seemed at a loss for how to continue.

“What’s wrong Gaius?”

Wordlessly, Gaius handed him a mirror.

Merlin had never given much thought to his appearance, he’d always been to busy to care much about it. He knew he was skinny and gangly, that his ears were to big and his face was too long for him to be particularly handsome. He had always liked his hair though. It wasn’t much, but it was a nice, striking black that he thought suited him quite well. Only now it wasn’t black at all. Every hair on his head had gone a bright, silvery white. 

He dropped the mirror.

“What happened?” he asked, looking helplessly at Gaius.

“I can only imagine it was the strain of using so much power at once.”

“Will it go back to normal?”

“It’s difficult to say,” Giaus hesitated, “but I think it unlikely.”

Merlin slid lower in the bed, clutching at his snowy new locks.

“I can’t look like this for the rest of my life! There are loads of beauty enchantments, I’m certain I can find something to change the color of my hair.”

Gaius chuckled. “I’m sure you can, but not until you’ve fully recovered. For now, rest.”

Merlin sighed. A moment ago he had been ready to jump up and start looking through books, but Gaius was right. The shock of seeing himself in the mirror was wearing off, and he felt even more tired than before.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Arthur entered. Merlin wanted to send him away, he didn't want Arthur to see him like this, but then he realized that Arthur would have already seen him, after he collapsed at the feast. The whole castle would have seen him. The thought made him want to burrow into the covers and never emerge.

“Gaius, can I have a moment with Merlin?”

“Of course Sire, I only ask that you don’t keep him awake too long. He needs rest if he is to recover.”

“Thank you, Gaius.”

Gaius left, closing the door behind him, and Arthur’s gaze at last fell on Merlin. There was a softness in his expression that Merlin didn't often see. He came to sit on the side of Merlin’s bed and Merlin instinctively reached out to him. Arthur took one of Merlin’s hands in his own and pressed it gently to his lips.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Oh, come off it,” groaned Merlin. “Don’t act like you don’t notice. I look dreadful don’t I?”

Arthur raised his eyebrows. “I quite like it, actually.”

“Don’t make fun.”

“I’m serious,” said Arthur. He reached out to run his fingers through the offending hair and Merlin leaned into the touch. He really was tired.

“What’s to like about grey hair before thirty? I look like an old man.”

“You do not look old. And it’s not quite grey either, it’s white, with bits of silver too. It’s lovely.”

“Come off it,” said Merlin again, though without any real strength.

“I think it makes you look wise—” Arthur pressed a kiss to Merlin’s forehead— “and mysterious—” another kiss to the tip of Merlin’s nose— “and beautiful.” A soft kiss on the lips.

“If you say so,” Merlin sighed. He was too tired too argue further.

“Alright,” said Arthur, “time for rest.”

He carefully laid Merlin back on to the bed before climbing in next to him. Merlin was nearly asleep already, but had just enough energy to snuggle close to Arthur.

* * * * *

He ended up keeping the hair. His color never came back on it’s own, and though he found a few spells and potions that looked natural, they were a lot of work to maintain. Eventually he grew a beard too, not a long one, a bit shorter than his father’s. Gwaine called him ‘old man’ but Arthur said it made him look stately. Merlin secretly agreed.

Arthur’s reign continued, and he gained a reputation for being a fair and just king. Merlin became famous too, as tales his vast power and great deeds the spread throughout the five kingdoms. Songs were sung about King Arthur of Camelot, the once and future king, riding into forth with the Silver Sorcerer by his side.

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly can't remember where I got the idea for this...


End file.
